(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for diffusing error in a display device, and more particularly, to a method for performing high-speed error diffusion, and a plasma display panel driving apparatus using the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, in various display devices, such as Plasma Display Panels (PDPs), Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), and Organic Electro Luminescence Displays (OLEDs), error diffusion methods are usually applied for compensation when the amount of displayable gray data is less than that of gray data for display. Particularly, the error diffusion method is usually used for inverse gamma correction or for false contour reduction. The error diffusion method transmits errors to surrounding pixels, which occur from displayable gray data and gray data desired for display, and express the gray data desired for display on an average in a certain area.
An example of a conventional error diffusion method is described in Korea Patent Publication No. 2002-18900 entitled “A gamma display correction apparatus for plasma display panel, and method using the same”.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional error diffusion method for inverse gamma correction applied for driving a plasma display panel. In the conventional plasma display, analog video signal 10 is inputted. The analog signal is converted to an N-bit digital signal by A/D (Analog/Digital) conversion 20, and is outputted. The signal outputted for each pixel is outputted through A/D conversion, and a frequency of the pixel signal outputted becomes 60×n×m (Hz) by the National Television Standard Committee (NTSC) method of 60 Hz. Further, the size of the frame outputted becomes width×length=n×m.
The signal outputted by A/D conversion is inverse gamma corrected 40 for compensating gamma correction performed for display in a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). Then, when the inverse gamma corrected signal is converted to gray data displayable on the PDP, conventional error diffusion 50 is applied to the converted gray data for compensating loss of gray data, and the signal is outputted to PDP 60 for displaying a corresponding image.
Further, as the evolution of video display devices progresses, the number of frames for display increases in order to display a high quality image. As such, the number of pixels for operating in a limited time frame increases as the display devices are further developed. Error diffusion is performed at each inputted pixel by the conventional error diffusion method, and thus it is difficult to perform a real-time error diffusion process.
Thus, as the number of pixels for operating in the limited time frame increases in the high definition display device, a method for performing high-speed error diffusion is required.